The Beginning and End of the Cerulean Feather!
by Nardragon
Summary: Robin invited the team to Wayne Manor because he has something important to tell them. But just as he's about to he's attacked by...a little kid. Who's the kid? And who's the Cerulean Feather? Well, there's one way to find out.


Okay, I know you all probably think I dropped off the face of the earth. Well, I kinda did. Some crazy shit happened in the past few weeks and I pulled back from basically everything. But I missed writing. Plus I've have massive writers block for weeks, haven't been able to think of anything for any of my stories, fanfiction or otherwise. To try and help break it I did this one shot. It's short but I hope you guys like it.

Note, this is set in Team year 2

* * *

WAYNE MANOR

October 18, 17:08 EDT

"Whoa talk about some head space." Artemis commented, looking up at the vaulted ceiling as she, Zatanna and Wally followed Alfred through the foyer.  
"I know right. I had the same reaction the first time Rob invited me here," Zatanna said.  
"I don't get how he invited you to the manor before he invited me." Wally said shoving his hands into his pockets.  
"I was his girlfriend at the time," Zatanna said.  
"So, I was the first person he told his secret identity,"  
"I think Wally is feeling a little rejected in the bromance area." Artemis said to Zatanna. The girls laughed while Wally huffed.

"Don't feel bad dude." Said a voice right behind Wally. The speedster jumped a foot in the air spinning around.  
"God, Rob you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days." Wally said. "Are you ever going to stop the ninja thing?"  
"Probably not. I'll take it from here Al," Dick said addressing the last part to Alfred.  
"As you wish Master Richard." Alfred said. He turned back to the other three, "Like I was saying don't feel too bad. I told you my identity but Bats didn't know I told you so I couldn't invite you the manor."  
"Sure whatever." Wally said folding his arms.  
"Don't worry babe, I'm sure Rob will invite you over for sleep over now that his other life is out of the bag." Artemis said, "Just promise you won't stay up all night braiding each others' hair." Zatanna burst out laughing.

"Ha Ha, very funny." Wally said.  
"My identity isn't out of the bag, only the seven of you know and speaking of the others they're already here. They're waiting in my room." Robin led the way up two floors and down a hallway. He pushed open double doors and walked into a huge room with a california king size canopy bed in the far end, ultra modern furniture, a trampoline and arcade games. On one wall was devoted to a television screen. The other walls had posters of several action movies, video games and some showing different fighting styles. The largest was actually a shot of Batman and him jumping across the top buildings.

Artemis and Wally stopped dead when they saw the room.  
"Dude, _this _is your room?" Wally said.  
"Room? This place is as big as my whole apartment." Artemis.  
"Tell me about it." Raquel said. For the first time they noticed the others in the room. Raquel and M'gann were jumping on the trampoline.  
"I say we have a hang out day every week at this place." Conner said. He and Kal'dur were playing on a Street Fighter game.  
"I agree with that…shock him you green hair ball, shock him!" Kal'dur suddenly yelled out slamming his hands on the buttons.  
"Yeah, feel the wrath of Akuma!" Conner said.  
"Cool, I play the winner." Wally said running over and peering over the two boys' shoulder.

Dick whistled drawing everyone's attention.  
"I did have a reason for inviting you all here today." He said. They all turned towards him. Raquel and M'gann stopped jumping and Kal'dur and Conner turned away from the game.  
"Wow, in a serious voice and everything," Zatanna said.  
"Alright dude, what is it?" Wally asked.  
"Well, the first thing I should probably tell you is that Bruce…" He stopped short when a metallic clang came from behind him. He turned around and saw a metal grate on the ground; his eyes went up to the vent it had fallen from, near the top of the wall. But he barely had time to process before a blur shot out of the vent and tackled him.

The others were in shock as Robin flipped his attacker over and threw him away from him. The other person tumbled rolled and jumped to his feet, charging at Robin. By this time the others had snapped out of shock and ran forward to protect Robin. Wally ran into him knocking him over, Conner pinned him down. Kal'dur had out his water bearers in the form of blades, Artemis had gotten out her cross bow and they both were aiming at the attacker's head. M'gann's eyes were glowing green and Zatanna was saying the beginnings of a spell. Raquel placed a force bubble around Dick.

"Guys! Stop! Don't hurt him!" Rob yelled. His seven friends all did a double take. Raquel dropped the bubble.  
"Don't hurt him? But he tried to attack you." M'gann said.  
"I know, and that was a pretty good try. You would have had me if you hadn't let the grate hit the floor." Robin said to the person on the floor. The others now focused on the attacker and saw it a young boy a few years than they were. Conner got up and Dick helped the kid to his feet.

"That was so cool. They way you all attacked me. Talk about feeling the aster. Well you all were were feeling the aster, me not so much. But I'm feeling it right not. You're Superboy!" The boy said eagerly. "And you're Aqualad, and Kid Flash!" He said turning to each boy. "It's so cool to meet you. I watched you all the time on the news. Dick tells me all about you guys." He grabbed their hands quickly shaking them. They were all looking at the kid in shock.

Next he turned to the girls. "Artemis, I know this is probably wrong of me to say but I think it's wicked awesome that you come of a family of bad guys. Miss M, you're the first alien I'm meeting. I know Conner has kryptonian DNA but he didn't really come from another planet like you did. Bruce says I'll get to meet Superman and Martian Manhunter soon thought. And you're Rocket and Zatanna." He paused when he turned to them. "You are as hot as Dick says." Robin clapped a hand over the boy's mouth.

"Alright, that's enough Jason, why don't you go spend some time in the training room." Robin pushed the boy out of the room.  
"Wait, I want to talk to them more."  
"Later." He closed the door in the boy's face. When he turned back the others were giving him a strange look.  
"Can I just say 'what the hell'?" Artemis said.  
"Zatanna _and Rocket _are hot, do you have a new crush Dick?" M'gann asked with a grin. The others snickered.  
"What? No, of course not. The kid must have heard me wrong of something." Rob said quickly.  
"Who was the kid?" Conner asked.  
"That's Jason Todd, Batman's new protégée." Robin said.  
"Batman's what?" They all asked at the same time.

"Yeah, Bats and I have been training him for a few weeks now. We're planning on introducing him to everyone next week."  
"Where did you find him?" Wally asked.  
"We caught him stealing the tyres of the batmobile." Rob said casually. This caused the others to laugh.  
"No seriously, where'd you find the kid." Raquel said. He didn't say anything. They stopped laughing.  
"Oh, you are serious." Zatanna said.  
"He stole the tyres from the batmobile?" Wally asked.  
"Yep."  
"Batman's batmobile?"  
"What other batmobile is there?" Artemis asked hitting Wally on the head.  
"I was just clarifying." Wally snapped rubbing his head. "Geez, Rob scares me half to death all the time and you hit me so often. Why are so many of my relationship so hazardous for my health?"

"Might have something to do with the fact that all your friends are superheroes." Robin said.  
"So you going to tell us about this Jason kid?" Conner asked.  
"Well a few weeks ago Bats and I come back from a patrol and there is kid in some dirty clothes, with cross wrench next to batmobile. He already had three tyres off and was halfway through the fourth. Bats was impressed by his nerve and took him under his wing."  
"You're saying, Batman, mister master of secrets just took in a random kid off the street and let him know that Batman is really Bruce Wayne and you're Robin." Raquel said.  
"Yeah, pretty much."  
"I take it he will be joining the team." Kal'dur said.  
"Yep. He should have seen his face when I told him about it."  
"So what's going to his hero name? Batboy?" Wally asked.  
"Lame." Artemis said, "Bat_boy,_ not very fear inspiring."  
"My name is _Kid _Flash."  
"My point exactly."  
"Hey!"

The others laughed at the pair.  
"But I'm Superboy." Conner said  
"Yeah, but Conner you're still big enough to scare the badies with your muscles. Jason doesn't much going for him in the physical strength category by the looks of him."  
"So what _are_ you going to call him?" M'gann asked.  
"Wait, let me guess," Zatanna said, "Sparrow. Oh, no. I have it. Flacon."  
"Actually that's part of the reason I asked you guys to come. You see Bats doesn't want to make Jason a target by giving him a new name and letting everyone know he's the new guy. If he takes Robin then bad guys will think he's me and then my already stellar reputation can help a bit."

"Doesn't want to make the guy a target? He's going to fighting crime in black, red and yellow spandex. How is than not being a target?" Wally said.  
"Well that's Batman's reasoning. Plus I've been thinking about taking a new name. I think I've out grown the name Robin."  
"But then who are you going to be?" Raquel asked.  
"And we come to why I asked you all to come. I've got a new name and a new outfit. I wanted you guys to be the first to see."  
"Alright, then let's see." Conner said.  
"I'll be right back." He disappeared into his closet. A minute or so passed and he walked back out wearing black spandex with a blue emblem of a bird on the front.

"I'm digging the black and blue." Wally said.  
"You look a little strange without the cape though. Might have to get used to it." Zatanna said.  
"And what the new name?" Artemis asked.  
"Say hello to the Cerulean Feather." He said placing his hand on his hips. Everyone burst out laughing. And they didn't stop until they had tears in their eyes.  
"T-the cerulean-haha-cerulean feather. You can't be serious dude." Wally said clutching his side.  
Rob's face was bright red.  
"What wrong with it?" he asked.  
"You mean other than the fact it makes you sound gayer than Adam Lambert." Artemis said doubled over.  
"Cerulean? Why Cerulean? Cobalt sounds better, heck even plain blue sounds better." Raquel said.  
"Any why feather? What crime fighter would want feather in their name?" Conner asked.  
"Well, I have blue in my new costume, but I didn't want to just use blue…and, I didn't thing about cobalt. The feather part is because of my trapeze and gymnast background, because, you know I can be as light as a feather on my feet." This caused the laugher to start up again.  
"ALRIGHT! It's a stupid name. I'll change it. Man you guys can make someone feel stupid. I know how Wally must feel all the time."  
"DUDE!"

"How about we help you come up with a new name?" M'gann suggested.  
"Yeah, that way you won't come up with another stupid one." Artemis said.  
"You guys? Come up with name? Yeah right. You all either ripped off your mentors or couldn't even think of a hero name. Well except for Rocket."  
"Hey!" Six voices yelled at once.  
"Fine. We won't help you. But if you change to something like Cobalt Tumbler we'll just laugh harder." Zatanna said. He blushed again.  
"You were thinking of something with Cobalt won't you?" Raquel asked.  
"No!" He snapped too quickly to be convincing.

"Why don't we just call him the whelmed guy?" Conner suggested making them laugh.  
"Why don't we call M'gann 'Hello Megan'?" Dick said.  
"Chill dude we're just having some fun." Wally said.  
"Zatanna's suggestions from before might serve as a new name for you." Kal'dur suggested.  
"Yeah, Falcon. I could see you as Falcon." Artemis said.  
"Nah, I don't know. I thought about another bird but I want something else."  
"Something with Bat in it maybe?" M'gann suggested.  
"Like what? We already ruled out Batboy and Batlad sounds as cool as Cerulean Feather." Raquel said.  
"Yeah, I'm sixteen now, don't really want something with boy or lad or kid in it." Dick said.  
"Should we be insulted by that?" Superboy said to Wally and Aqualad.

"Well let's think, you want it to go with Batman and Robin at least, but don't want a bird." Zatanna said.  
"Yeah, feather kind of went with Robin," Dick said.  
"But not with bat," Artemis said.  
"What to bats and birds have in common?" Aqualad said rubbing his chin.  
"They fly…that's about it," Conner said.  
"They have wings," Zatanna said snapping her fingers. Dick opened his mouth to says something but the others cut him off-"Cobalt Wing is not a good name." They said. He closed his mouth.  
"Steelwing?" Artemis suggested.  
"Nah,"  
"Maybe something else that links you to Batman?" Kal'dur said. "What are things that define Batman?"

"He never smiles." Zatanna said.  
"He is creepily quite." Conner said.  
"Does the ninja thing even better than Rob." Wally said.  
"None of those things help the name situation."  
"Rob, when Bruce first became Batman he would only act at night, right?" Raquel asked.  
"Yeah, during his first year he almost never put the mask on during the day."  
"Night. Night…wing. That actually has a nice ring to it." Wally said.  
"Nightwing. I like it." He brought up his holo screen. "Computer, Nightwing, B01, update."

"Then it's official, Nightwing." M'gann said trying out the new name.  
"It will be weird calling you that," Artemis said, "And calling the new kid Robin."  
"We will just have to get used to it." Kal'dur said.  
"It took a while to get used to Red Arrow instead of Speedy." Wally remarked.  
"I'm gonna missing getting to call you boy blunder though." Raquel said with a grin.  
"I second that." Zatanna said.  
"And I most certainly won't miss that nickname."  
"Well, it doesn't matter what you are, Robin or Nightwing. You'll always be a 'Dick' to me." Wally said making everyone laugh.  
"But he is Dick." Said a voice. Wally jumped and looked behind him to see Jason.  
"Jason…when did you…"  
"Oh he's _a _dick. I get." Jason burst out laughing.  
"Man kid, you do the ninja as good as Rob…I mean Nightwing." Wally said.  
"Don't you mean Dick."

"Remind me again why I told you guys my name is Richard."

* * *

Well there you have it, my take on the origin of Nightwing. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Nardragon~ until the next page.


End file.
